


Little Toy Guns

by HidingintheInkwell



Series: Song Titles [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: It ends happily though!, Multi, Never really wrote one so here it is, Songfic I guess?, lots of paternal shouting, poor gracie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 11:54:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20007877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HidingintheInkwell/pseuds/HidingintheInkwell
Summary: Named for the song by Carrie UnderwoodWhile her mom and dad fight constantly, Gracie Williams finds herself overhearing more than her fair share of their arguments. When the divorce is finalized and she finds herself in Hawaii, she never thought she'd go through that again. Her mom had Step-Stan, and her Danno has Uncle Steve. But what happens when she overhears an argument she was never supposed to know about? Is she going to be caught in the crossfire all over again?In between the coats in the closetShe held on to that heart shaped locketStaring at a family flawlessBut it ain't a pretty picture tonightMom and daddy just won't stop itFightin' at the drop of the faucetCuts through the walls catastrophicShe's caught in the crossfirePuts her hands over her earsStarts talking through the tearsShe's saying, she's praying.I wish words were like Little Toy Guns...





	Little Toy Guns

**Author's Note:**

> This summary sucks, I'm sorry, but I think you'll like this story anyway! This is one of my absolute favorite Carrie Underwood songs, and you don't even have to like country to appreciate this one. I just thought it was so incredibly fitting to this fandom and couldn't help myself! All credit of the song goes to the beautiful artist, I lay no claim save being a fan.
> 
> Please forgive any mistakes as I am my own Beta and balancing a job, school, and personal life while trying to write when I can!
> 
> As always kudos and comments are welcome and I love you all! I promise to try and get more up in August when my muse is forced off their extended vacation!  
> \--HidingintheInkwell

“God dammit, Rachel! What do you  _ want  _ from me, huh?” 

This was just the latest argument that echoed through the halls of their apartment, rattling the pictures on the walls and sending their dog cowering under the dining room table. 

“I want you to pay attention to me, Daniel! I want you to focus more on me than on your bloody job! You keep dragging it home with you, and even when you’re not it is still hanging over us like some stormcloud ready to drop on our heads!”

The fight raged on, a near perfect replica to so many others with harsh words flying like poisoned darts, finding every little chink in the other’s armor with an accuracy that made it hurt every time. Gracie buried herself further into the thick winter coats, hands clasped over her ears in an attempt to shut out the noise, tears rolling down her cheeks and dripping off her chin to land with a splat on the small, heart shaped picture frame balanced on her drawn knees. The smiling faces of her, her mum, and Danno peered up at her from the glittery pink frame, arms wrapped lovingly around each other as the London Eye rose up behind them. Two years ago they’d taken a trip to England to visit her grandparents. Her grandmum had taken them around to see the sights while her grandpa was at home getting supper ready for them. The line for the Eye had taken nearly an hour, but the operator had stopped it for them when they’d reached the very top and Gracie had been able to see all the way to Chiswick. When they’d reached the bottom, her grandmum had taken the picture of the three of them before taking them off to get ices under the promise that they wouldn’t ruin their supper. 

Pulling one hand away from her ears, she used the cuff of her sleeve to wipe away the little puddle her tears had made against the glass. 

“What about Grace, Daniel? Do you even think of what it would do to her if you were killed? How would I explain to her that her father is never coming home?!”

Gracie felt her breath catch. There it was, what it always came back to. They acted like she had no idea what her Danno did, how dangerous his job was, and that sometimes people who did his job didn’t make it back home again. Danno had told her about her namesake, the Grace who’d been his partner, who’d been brave and strong and smart and everything her Danno always told her she was. It seemed every time her parents started arguing, it all came back around to her, like her mum knew that was just the way to make her Danno go all pale and trembly, his eyes all big like he’d just seen a ghost and he’d look old and sick, like the way her Granddad had looked when he’d come down with the flu. Gracie thought her mum brought her into the arguments on purpose, just to hurt Danno. He’d always come into her room later and hug her extra tight and remind her how much he loved her, that he’d do anything for her. 

Those were the times where Gracie honestly kinda hated her mum, even though she knew hating someone was wrong, especially when it was your mum. But if her mum was going to use her to hurt her Danno, then her mum was no better than some of the bad guys her Danno put away at work. 

Slamming her hands back over her ears before the next bout of shouting could begin, she squeezed her eyes shut and made herself as small as possible in the already small closet. “Dear God,” she mumbled,” please make them stop fighting. I hate it when they fight, especially when mummy starts telling Danno what a bad father he is, because Danno is the best father in the world and I hate that mummy only says it because she knows it will hurt him. Please make them stop, God. Don’t let mummy’s words hurt Danno like that. Please make them love each other again and make them stop fighting… Amen.”

______________________________________

_ I wish words were like little toy guns _

_ No sting, no hurt no one, just a bang bang _

_ Rolling off your tongue  _

_ Yeah, no smoke, no bullets _

_ No kick from the trigger when you pull it, no pain, no damage done _

_ And just a bang bang rolling off your tongue _

_ I wish words were like little toy guns…  _

_ __________________________________ _ ____

Mum and Danno did stop fighting, but then Mum was moving her out of the apartment with Danno and into another apartment across town, and she only saw her Danno on the weekends and Mum was dating a man named Stan who was rich, and nice enough, but he was boring. He was a Real Estate developer, which meant he bought land to help companies expand, he’d explained to her one evening over dinner at a fancy restaurant. Mum and Stan got married, and when Gracie told Danno about the wedding, he got a funny look on his face when she told him about the poofy dress and fancy jewelry she’d had to wear, and about the big fancy princess dress her mum had worn down the aisle. Gracie had seen photos of her mum’s and Danno’s wedding in the big white album at Grandma’s house and knew her mum had not had  _ nearly  _ so fancy a dress when she’d married her Danno. 

Gracie and her mum moved into Step-Stan’s big fancy penthouse apartment, and then before she knew it she was being sat down and told that they would be moving to Hawaii, because Step-Stan had gotten a job helping some big company expand and that they wanted him to go buy land and start building in Hawaii. When she’d gone to visit Danno that weekend and told him about the move, he’d looked surprised, and then kind of sick, and Gracie realized that this was the first time he’d heard this news. It was like when she’d told him her mum was getting married to Step-Stan, only worse. “Danno? Are you okay?” she’d asked, crawling up into his lap and wrapping him in a hug. She’d watched him swallow hard before smiling and hugging her back. “Yeah, Monkey, I’m okay. Just wondering when your mom was going to tell me about this big move. Are you excited?”

Gracie had nodded, going off on how she’d done research on what Hawaii was like, and how she’d watched Lilo and Stitch like, a hundred times in order to get ready for it. Danno had listened, his smile still kind of tight around the edges, until she was done before he suggested pizza for supper. That night, Gracie lay in bed staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stars while she listened to her Danno trying to be quiet while he argued with her mum. 

“What were you planning on doing, Rachel? Taking her away and not even bothering to tell me? She’s my daughter too, you have no right to take her five thousand miles away from me without even  _ telling me!”  _

Gracie closed her eyes and turned over to face her wall, pulling her blanket up over her head. This time her eyes were dry as she prayed. “Dear God, please be with Danno. I don’t know why mummy didn’t tell him about the move, and I know this is supposed to be a good opportunity for Step-Stan, but I’m worried about my Danno. He needs me, and I know he still has Grandma and Grandpa, and Uncle Mattie and Aunt Stella and Aunt Bridget, but I don’t want him to be lonely, God. I would miss him if he was all alone and I was in Hawaii. But I also don’t want them to keep fighting, God. I  _ hate  _ it when they fight, and I think this move is gonna make them fight even more. Please, God, can you make them stop fighting and love each other again?”

____________________________________

_ Wish there was a white flag waving _

_ Or that they were both just faking _

_ And it was just a game they were playing _

_ Like shoot'em up cowboys _

_ Leave the plastic pistols in the front yard _

_ Throw away the score card _

_ And just turn off all the noise. _

____________________________________

Hawaii turned out to be wonderful. The house Step-Stan’s job had bought for them was more like a mansion with a big driveway and a gate and everything. Danno even followed them all the way there, getting a job with the Honolulu Police to make sure he could still see Gracie on his weekends. Gracie’s school was fancy too, with uniforms and security, and she had classmates who had parents who were diplomats and had been everywhere from China to France and India, and all kinds of places. She joined the Aloha Girls, which was kinda like the Girl Scouts who used to come and talk to them back in Jersey, and Step-Stan enrolled her in tennis lessons. Her parents didn’t really fight so much anymore, unless her mum planned something that happened to be going on during a weekend she was supposed to be staying with Danno, but while her mum seemed happy with Hawaii, she knew her Danno wasn’t. 

He complained. A lot. Like how nobody dressed properly, and that there was either spam, pineapple, or both on  _ everything,  _ that nobody there knew how to make a good pizza, or that there was sand  _ everywhere _ . Gracie knew her Danno just griped about those things because it made her laugh, because then they’d start sharing stories about back in Jersey, what grandma and grandpa might be getting up to, whether their favorite pizza place was still trying that vegan broccoli pizza or if he’d finally had the sense beaten into him. 

But then Danno’s rants turned focus to his new boss; a military man named Steve who Gracie met at a football game. He was nice, really serious at first, but then Gracie would start hearing him poke fun at her Danno for wearing a tie and how pineapple on pizza was fantastic, and he even gave her Danno tickets so that they could swim with dolphins one weekend when she was over. The more she learned about him, the more Gracie liked Steve. Despite all the arguing, Steve made her Danno happy. And he had a beach in his backyard that Gracie was always invited over to play at. Uncle Steve always made a point in including Gracie in conversations, trying to get to know her and doing things she liked to do. Step-Stan always tried, but he seemed lost about how to talk to Gracie, and he almost never tried to include her in conversations he had with her mum. 

Uncle Steve made Danno happy, made him like Hawaii and not miss Jersey so much, and that made Gracie happy too. Sometimes he’d be with Danno when he came to pick Gracie up from school, and Uncle Steve always managed to convince Danno that they needed to go get Shave Ice on the way home. Even though she was only ten, Gracie could tell there was something between her Danno and Uncle Steve. They’d look at each other sometimes like how Danno and her mum used to look at each other, back when they were happy and not fighting. Sometimes Uncle Steve would show up on a weekend Gracie was at Danno’s with fresh masalas and an excited gleam that always had Danno groaning, even before Uncle Steve told them about this cool place to hike to, or some festival that was going that might be interesting for Gracie, sending her a wink over her Danno’s head. 

___________________________________

_ Oh I wish they didn't cut like a knife _

_ I wish they didn't break you inside _

_ I wish they didn't bang bang make you wanna run _

___________________________________

Gracie was frozen on the stairs, towel in one hand while the other held onto the railing so tight that her knuckles were turning white. Uncle Steve and Danno were fighting, their shouts so loud that they were echoing across the living room. From where Gracie stood she couldn’t see them, but in her mind she could see Danno, red faced and hair wild as his hands flew through the air the way they always did when he was really worked up. She knew she probably wasn’t supposed to hear it. She was supposed to still be getting ready to go swimming with Uncle Steve, but she’d been so excited that she’d gotten changed extra fast so that they could go out. Uncle Steve had promised to take her out on his paddle board and let her ride. 

“What the hell is wrong with you, Steven?! No, seriously! What was going through that thick skull of yours that you would think that was okay?”

This wasn’t the first argument Gracie had overheard between her Danno and Uncle Steve, they argued a lot in front of her, about silly things like Danno’s tie or pineapple or whether or not Gracie could learn a judo maneuver (Danno always said “Absolutely Not, Steven” even when Uncle Steve assured her it was completely safe), but this one was different. Usually Danno wasn’t this angry, and Gracie had only ever heard Uncle Steve raise his voice like that when he was talking to criminals. 

“Your SEAL training may have you thinking you’re some kind of superman, but not when it involves my baby girl! God, Steven, don’t you even  _ think  _ before you act?! She was  _ right there!  _ You could have gotten her caught in the crossfire!”

_ Ah,  _ Gracie thought. She knew what this argument was about. Uncle Steve had taken her with him to the grocery store while Danno was at a doctor’s appointment. While they’d been in there a couple people had tried to rob the place. Uncle Steve had hidden her in the bathroom with an older lady and her granddaughter while he dealt with the bad guys. He’d taken care of them in less than two minutes and come right back to make sure Gracie was okay and then they’d come back to Uncle Steve’s house. 

“Danny, she was perfectly safe, I swear! I didn’t use any weapons, and as soon as I saw them I had her hidden away. They didn’t even know she was there, I swear. I’d never do anything to put Grace in harm’s way. I’d do anything to protect her, Danny. You  _ know  _ I would.”

Uncle Steve’s voice had lowered to a calmer level, trying to calm down Danno too, but Danno wasn’t having it. 

“Do I, Steven? Because it seems every time you’re around my baby girl, something goes wrong! For God’s sake, the first time I introduce the two of you some thugs start shooting up the damn football game! Honestly, Steven, it’s one thing to be reckless at work when we’re chasing down  _ criminals,  _ but you do not do that kind of thing around my baby girl! And honestly, if this is how you’re going to act around her, I’m not sure if I should allow you to be around her.”

The silence following Danno’s words was deafening, and it felt to Gracie that even the ocean outside was holding its breath. 

“Danny,  _ please…”  _ Uncle Steve’s voice sounded broken, the way Danno’s used do after him and mum had had a really bad fight and Danno would come into Gracie’s room looking sad and ask her if she knew he loved her. 

Gracie took a step back, wanting to turn and run back to the room Uncle Steve had told her she could leave her things in whenever she came over, but the wooden step let out a groan when she put her weight on it that echoed loudly in the silence. She froze, eyes wide and lip caught between her teeth. Danno was gonna be  _ so  _ angry when he found out she had been listening to them, that she hadn’t let them know she was there sooner. Danno had just told Uncle Steve that he wouldn’t be allowed to see her anymore. Memories of similar arguments between Danno and her mum echoed inside her head, making tears spring up in her eyes. 

Were Danno and Uncle Steve gonna break up like Danno and her mum had? Uncle Steve made Danno happy, but mum had made Danno happy too. Gracie could remember them making each other happy. But now her mum had Step-Stan to make her happy, but if Danno and Uncle Steve broke up, then Danno wouldn’t have anyone to make him happy anymore. 

“Monkey? Is that you?” 

Danno was calling her. She knew she should answer him, maybe let him think that she hadn’t heard their whole argument, but Gracie was afraid that if she opened her mouth then she was going to start crying. She could feel it burning in the back of her throat, threatening to choke her. 

“Gracie?”

That was Uncle Steve. He sounded quiet, like Danno’s words had stolen the strength from his words, but Gracie could still hear the concern in it; concern for  _ her.  _ Even with Danno threatening not to let him see her anymore, he was still concerned for her. 

Gracie still couldn’t move. She could practically hear them sharing a look before the shuffle and creak told her they were heading toward the stairs. Two seconds later, two sets of concerned eyes were staring up at her from the foot of the stairs. It took Danno barely a second more to read her face and realize that she’d heard more than they’d meant for her to. “Oh monkey, I’m so sorry you had to hear that.” Gracie just nodded, taking a couple cautious steps down toward them, still holding a death grip on the railing. “Danno, are you and Uncle Steve going to break up the way you and mummy did?” she asked, watching as Danno’s brows shot toward his hairline and Uncle Steve got a startled look on his face, eyes flickering from Danno to Gracie and back. 

“Monkey,” Danno started, talking slow, “what gave you that idea?”

Gracie shrugged. “Uncle Steve makes you happy like how Step-Stan makes mummy happy and how mummy used to make you happy. Then you and mummy started fighting and now she’s with Step-Stan, but if you and Uncle Steve break up, then you won’t have anyone to make you happy anymore. And you told Uncle Steve you wouldn’t let him see me anymore. Mummy used to tell you that she wouldn’t let you see me anymore when you used to fight.”

The more she talked, the more her Danno’s expression changed. Brows furrowed in confusion smoothed out in surprise before relaxing into realization and drooping in something like sadness. “Oh money, no honey. Steve and I aren’t like your mom and me were. Your mom and me, we tried to keep you from hearing our fights and I’m sorry you heard them anyway, but your Uncle Steve and I? Well, your Uncle Steve just scared me really bad with his little stunt in the grocery store earlier, that’s all.”

Gracie scrunched up her brow. “But Danno, Uncle Steve kept me safe. As soon as he saw the bad guys he sent me to hide as far away as he could, and he handed me his phone and told me to call 911 and tell them what was happening. He’d even left his gun in the car before taking me inside because he knows you don’t like it when people have weapons around me. And as soon as he took care of the bad guys he came right back to make sure I was okay and that I wasn’t hurt and I didn’t see anything he had to do to make sure I was safe.”

Danno’s eyes were getting wide again before he turned to look at Uncle Steve, who was looking a little like a kicked puppy waiting for the other shoe to drop, or something like that. “Steven, is this true? You went after two would-be robbers  _ unarmed?”  _ Uncle Steve nodded, eyes begging Danno to understand. “You hate it when we have weapons around her, even if it’s a holstered sidearm with the safety on, so when we went into the grocery store I left it in the glove box. I told you, Danno, I’d do  _ anything  _ to keep Gracie safe.” 

Uncle Steve’s eyes were still big and pleading, and Danno’s expression had morphed into something Gracie couldn’t quite read, but he didn’t look angry anymore so she figured it was a good thing. “So you and Uncle Steve aren’t breaking up, Danno?” She asked, drawing two sets of eyes back to her. Danno smiled, shooting Uncle Steve another look before turning back to her and holding out a hand; a hand she happily took and bounced down the rest of the stairs and into his hug. “No, monkey, Uncle Steve and I aren’t going to break up.”

Gracie grinned wide, pulling back from her Danno and taking one of Uncle Steve’s hands. “Good. Does this mean we can go out on the paddle board now?”

The question was met with a round of chuckles before she was being swept up into Uncle Steve’s strong arms. “Yeah, Gracie, I think we can go out on the paddle board now.” Uncle Steve was grinning wide, his eyes sparkling like they do when he gets ready to set off fireworks or throw her over the waves. “And I think we can manage to drag Danno out with us.”

Danno groaned, but Gracie didn’t pay him any attention. She was too happy knowing that her Danno and her Uncle Steve weren’t going to break up to care. 

_____________________________________

_ No smoke, no bullets _

_ No shot from the trigger when you pull it, no pain, no damage done _

_ (I wish words were like little toy guns) _

_ And just a bang bang rolling off your tongue _

_ I wish words were like little toy guns _

_ Like little toy guns…  _

~END~

  
  



End file.
